English

The history of Utøya in english.

Thieves and monks

The history of Utøya goes back to the turn of last millennium. At the time, the Tyrifjord was a popular route of travel for pilgrims going to Nidaros. Stories are told about pirates and thieves who attacked and plundered travellers. Monks from the nearby monastery on Storøya used Utøya as a herb garden, which is why we can still see a unique flora on the island, with a large number of species otherwise uncommon in the area.

Farming

On Storøya, a little north of Utøya, there was a considerable farmstead from the 12th century. At the time, Utøya belonged to Storøya, which was a church property under the Hamar diocese. After the reformation in 1537, Storøya and subsequently Utøya became the property of the King in Copenhagen. When the court sold several estates at the end of the 17th century to cover royal debts, tradesman Claus Trondsen from Bragernes (Drammen) bought Utøya for 22 riksdaler. This was the start of a period of more than two hundred years where ownership of the island frequently changed hands. Tenant farmers would run the farm on the island on behalf of the various owners. In 1867, merchant Gunerius Pettersen and some of his business partners bought Utøya. One of the first things they did was to build a holiday house on the island - the building today known as the white Main House (Hovedhuset).

Holidays for right-wing politicians

For some time, Utøya was owned by Jens Kristian Meinrich Bratlie. Bratlie had an impressive military and political career. In 1898 he was elected General War Commissioner, he was a member of parliament for Høyre from 1900 to 1912, and the leader of the military committee in parliament. In 1906 Bratlie became president of the commons, and later parliamentary president in 1912. After the resignation of Prime Minister Konow in February 1912, Bratlie became Prime Minister, while at the same time serving as Minister of Defence. During the 1930s, he became part of the circle surrounding Vidkun Quisling. Bratlie would use Utøya as his personal summer residence during the time. He had bought it in 1898 as a holiday location, and created several gardens across the island. Servants and staff lived year round on the island to maintain and manage the property.

From right to left

In 1932 the Norwegian labour and trade union movement took over Utøya. With the extreme right tendencies displayed by Bratlie, it is curious that he chose to sell the island to the labour movement, in a time of class war and sharp conflict between the political right and left. Under ownership of the labour movement, in the following years Utøya was used as a holiday camp for children of the working classes. It became a popular summer destination, used by a number of organisations connected to the labour movement. As well as holiday camps for the trade unions, Utøya soon also became a gathering place for other parts of the labour organisations. The first national conference of Framfylkingen, an organisation for children and families, happened at Utøya in 1935. The Worker’s Sport Organisation, Arbeidernes Idrettsforbund (AIF), was early in adopting the island as their main location for courses and training, with political education, public health training and recreational sports for all as central topics on the agenda.

During this period, the café building Kafébygget was built, and the oldest outdoor toilets were constructed. In 1936, Utøya was visited by a world famous revolutionary. After Stalin had won the internal power struggle in the soviet communist party, Leo Trotsky was excluded, considered a traitor and exiled from the Soviet Union. In 1935, the Norwegian government granted him asylum. At the time, Trotsky stayed in Ringerike and was a frequent visitor to Utøya. While in Norway, Trotsky was working on one of his most important book projects, the big confrontation with Joseph Stalin. It is not unlikely that the last details in his legendary book The Revolution Betrayed was written in Hovedhuset at Utøya.

Utøya becomes the heart of AUF

In 1950 the union collective in Oslo and Akershus gave Utøya as an anniversary gift to the Labour Party Youth Organisation AUF (Arbeidernes Ungdomsfylking). Before the island was handed over in 1950, a committee of around 65 people – led by Einar Gerhardsen – collected 84 349 kroner and 93 øre from their members, local party organisations, women’s groups and unions. Since then, local chapters and activists in AUF have organised voluntary work and dugnad to benefit the island on a regular basis. Into the 1980s they collected money and buildings were built and modernised as a result. One good example is the football pitch on the island. It was the first sports facilities built in Hole municipality, and was built in collaboration with Sundvollen sports organisation and AUF early in the 1960s.

After the gifting of Utøya to AUF by the labour organisation LO in 1950, the history of the island has been the story of a small island with a big impact. Utøya has often been used as a “political laboratory” for the mother party of AUF, both in position and in opposition. For instance, education politicians from the Labour Party have used Utøya and the AUF youth as a listening post in their development of the Norwegian school system. After environmental politics became a central part of AUFs policies from 1990 onwards, the party leadership have frequently been criticised by AUF on Utøya for unambitious environmental and climate policies. In foreign politics, the demands from Utøya have included more active Norwegian peace politics, both during the civil war in Spain in the 1930s, and later during the Vietnam War, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. The struggle for tolerance is central in the political history of Utøya, especially the demands for equal rights for gay people. It is no coincidence that the founding meeting of Skeiv Ungdom, the youth organisation of LLH (The National Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People) took place on Utøya in 2004. Demands for a more liberal Norwegian asylum and refugee policy have been important for the AUF members at Utøya, and several ministers of justice have struggled to defend Norway’s restrictive immigration politics. It was at Utøya the demands for a red and green government coalition was raised for the first time, from the then leader of AUF, Anniken Huitfeldt, at the end of the 1990s.

If choosing to highlight just one single issue where Utøya has played a key part, it is natural to point to the most inflamed and important conflict in recent Norwegian history: the relationship with Europe and European integration. The Labour Party voters decided the result in two referendums about EEC/EF and EU in 1972 and 1994, due to the size of the party and because it was deeply divided both times. The leadership and government were on the yes side, while the youth in AUF said no. Both referendums ended with a victory to the no-movement, and in both cases Utøya was central in the process.

For many generations, it has been a unique arena for young people on the left, where they have combined political activism and leisure time. Through political education, awareness building and numerous courses, meetings, gatherings and not least the traditional camps during Pentecost and summer, thousands of young people from all over the country along with international guests have experienced Utøya. Key political topics and initiatives have been discussed, debated and developed here. Prime ministers, party leaders and leading politicians have conveyed their visions and their viewpoints. Long lasting political alliances have been formed. Political winds have blown from Utøya and across Norway, and other political winds have blown onto the island. In 2010, Jens Stoltenberg described Utøya as “one of the places that have had the biggest influence on Norwegian politics over the last 60 years”. Utøya is the prime podium in Norway during summer, said Stoltenberg.

At the same time, the island has been much more than politics. Many youths have spent warm summer days there over the years, and only a few have become full time politicians. Thousands still think of Utøya primarily as a place for carefree holidays, sun, bathing and summer. Perhaps the most important mission of the island is giving young people a chance to get insights into practical democratic work and increased political engagement, and they have taken those experiences with them onwards in life. The common threads in Utøyas history have been youthful dedication, culture, internationalism, diversity, tolerance and democracy.

A place for many others

Many people beyond the labour movement have a strong relationship with Utøya. Several central volunteer organisations have been founded, environmental organisations have made controversial and ground-breaking decisions, while religious organisations have celebrated themselves and practiced their beliefs. Guests from all over the world have visited the island, gathered strength and shared experiences. Norwegian organisations Norsk Folkehjelp Ungdom, Røde Kors Ungdom, Natur og Ungdom, Elevorganisasjonen, Handel og Kontor, Fellesforbundet, Sosialistisk Ungdom og Rød Ungdom are just some of the frequent users, as well as AUF. On Utøya the Nordic scout movement have had their annual camp, while the Children’s Theatre in Bærum are regular guests to the island.

The darkest day

On Friday, 22 July 2011 at 3.25 pm, a bomb exploded outside the high-rise building in the Government Centre in Oslo. Eight people were killed and nine seriously injured. The violence of the blast and subsequent shockwave caused massive material damage and put the lives of a great many people in mortal danger. After lighting the bomb’s fuse, the perpetrator – a Norwegian right-wing extremist – got into a getaway car and drove towards Utøya to start the second part of the planned attack. His objective was to kill everyone attending the Workers’ Youth League’s annual summer camp, which was taking place on the island of Utøya. There were 564 people on the island of Utøya on 22 July 2011. Most were members of the Workers’ Youth League (AUF) attending the summer camp. 69 people were killed at Utøya on 22 July 2011, while a further 33 received non-fatal gunshot wounds. A number of other people sustained physical injuries in their attempts to save themselves and others. The quick-witted and courageous efforts of local residents and tourists staying at Utvika Camping helped to prevent the number of casualties from rising even higher.

The bomb attack was aimed at the central government administration, and by extension the country’s democratic institutions. In total, 77 people were killed that day. These atrocities are unparalleled in Norwegian history.

Utøya today

As other places struck with terror and violence, we have had to find a new future for Utøya. A future balancing the need to commemorate and the need for new life. New generations of young people from all over the world are invited to use Utøya and through exchanging stories, experiences and practical knowledge be better equipped to stand up against extremism and defend the essential rights that are important for our society. Utøya symbolizes how important it is to defend and shape democracy every day. This makes Utøya a special place for young people to reflect on what democracy means to them, what challenges our democracies face and how young people can promote democratic values and practices.